It's been a VERY busy 2 weeks since I've last had a moment to sit down and write. I do not have a moment right now, but I wanted to let all you lovely readers know that I promise to make time this week to catch the blog up on everything that's happened here.
In short, I've had lots of readings and have written 2 quizzes and a Hebrew essay. All is well.
Shabbat Shalom!
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Sunday, July 17, 2011
The Future Rabbis, Cantors, and Educators of America cry a lot!
Ok maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, but seriously who knew going to seminary would be such an emotional experience?
Since last Monday we have been in orientation week and as of today we are officially students - having begun our Hebrew Ulpan and the summer class schedule. Orientation was comprised of a number of sessions aimed at helping us get to know each other, expectations, and a bit more about the Year In Israel (YII) program. Basically we talked and talked and then talked some more. It was wonderful - I mean that. Over the past week I've had some high quality conversations and bonded with my classmates. There are 37 of us in Israel this year and we each bring something unique to the table. There are people who have just finished their undergraduate degrees, people like me who have been working for a few years, people who have left successful careers to pursue a new path, people with Masters degrees - we've been referring to my new friend Adam as a rocket scientist a lot lately, because he is!
A lot happened this week, but there are some moments that stand out. At the end of our first day, we walked over to Har Zion (Mount Zion) for a view of Jerusalem as the sun set. Once there we sang some relevant songs accompanied on guitar by Rabbi Yoshi Zweibeck, the Director of the YII program, on guitar - turns out he's a bit of a big deal in Jewish music circles, check out his band Mah Tovu. We also were given some history of the location and a description of what we could see. As our day came to a close and we finished singing, off in the distance we could hear a group singing HaTikvah - the national anthem of the State of Israel - it was a beautiful moment. We sat on a hill with our backs to the old city, in reflective silence, and had a collective moment. When the silence broke, tear stains could be seen on many faces. Personally, I wanted to jump up and down with excitement when I heard the anthem being sung in the distance - acknowledging how perfect the timing was - instead I curled into a ball trying to resist the urge.
This was just one of many moments resulting in tears throughout the week. I do not know if students beginning other Masters or PhD programs have this experience, but it seems that the journey to becoming a Jewish professional is an extremely emotional one. No matter what we did this week, it was always interesting to see how it affected us. There were moments in our group discussions about why we are here and moments in prayer services, moments in Havdallah and moments with new friends. It is clear, whenever I look around me, that I am surrounded by people who are deeply passionate about the Jewish people, religion, and their career. We are thrilled, to the point of being overwhelmed, to be starting our programs at HUC.
Another highlight this week was a program called Yerushalayim Sheli. On Thursday night we signed up for activities being hosted by Israelis not necessarily connected to HUC and got to explore the city through their lens. This program was brilliantly coordinated by our amazing interns - Leslie, Amy, and Daniel - and was definitely a great experience for everyone. At 7:30 I met 7 of my classmates and 2 new Israeli friends - Aviad and Shevy - at HUC. We went for dinner at Moshav 54, a reasonably priced restaurant nearby, and then to the Israel Museum for a special program that included a Wi Party. What's a Wi Party? It's a party where you get a headphone set, put it on, and the music only plays in the headphones. If you take the headphones off, all you see is people dancing and you don't hear any music. This was so much fun and absolutely hilarious. I highly recommend participating in a party like this if you ever get a chance.
Side note about this trip - the enjoyment that our group took in seeing ancient biblical texts and imported synagogue decorations from all over the world was quite amusing. Of course the Rabbis, Cantor, and Jewish Educator in training visiting the Israel museum are going gaga for this stuff!
The final highlight of this week that I'd like to share with you took place on Shabbat. This week I was able to celebrate Shabbat as a settled in want-to-be Yerushalmi (Jerusalemite) as opposed to a half asleep tourist from Toronto. It started with our outdoor Kabbalat Shabbat service from the Feinstein Garden which overlooks the Old City. This was one of those "wow" moments for many of us in the group. Then Saturday followed as a great day of contemplation and discussion. Saturday morning I, along with all my classmates, attended services at HUC. This was the first time that I participated in a formal Reform service as a congregant and not a visitor. On a whole this was a very positive experience for me. However, one part left me with a lot of questions. Many Reform congregations say the Mourner's Kaddish as a Kehillah (community), however I have been raised with the custom of only saying Kaddish if you are a mourner or have lost one of the 7 people that qualify you as a mourner. I have never discussed this custom with my parents, but, as their custom is that which I was raised with, I sometimes feel as though it may be disrespectful to them to say this prayer while they are alive. Seeing as I have always been sent out during Yizkor on my father's insistence that "Your parents are still alive, get out"(said with love) I think this is a safe assumption. Although, I see the beauty in the Kehillah saying Kaddish together, I am not comfortable doing so at this point - with or without my parents' approval. In my experience, the instructions at the time of Kaddish will be to "rise if it is your custom," at this service these words were not said and I was left feeling awkward about whether to stand or remain seated. This moment opened up some good conversations for me throughout the rest of the day and kick started some of my grappling with prayer that I hope to do this year. In case you're wondering, I have decided it will be best to stand in silence the next time that happens.
Shabbat was closed with a great Seudah Shlishit and Havdallah back on campus. After our own Havdallah ceremony in the Spanish Garden, which may be one of the best hideaways on this campus, I stayed back with Rachel S (Rabbinic student and Havdallah leader extraordinaire), Elle (pronounced Ellie, Rabbinic student) and Jessie (Rabbinic student) to help lead Havdallah for a Kesher Birthright Trip. As someone who is crazy about informal education, Meaningful Jewish Experiences (MJEs), and Havdallah, this moment was wonderful and very exciting. It was a great way for the 4 of us to enhance our evening, but it left us pondering, are you allowed to say Havdallah twice? Did we just separate ourselves even further from Shabbat? (Joking of course) However, if you know the answer to the first question, please share.
Ok, I can feel this blog getting long - I mean really long - so I will condense my last few thoughts.
Today we started ulpan - I am in Kitah Gimel - there are only 3 classes, so I am in the highest. This makes sense and my parents might wonder where all there tuition went if I was not at this level. My class is great and I am very excited to challenge myself to reach fluency by the end of this year. This evening I went to a nearby cafe and ate dinner while doing my homework - it was a great.
After class today, I went with a few friends to see Harry Potter 7.2. This was not only a great HP experience, it was a great adventure in Israeli cinema. We saw the film in 3D, which is the best offering in the area, Jeremy and I agree that we don't understand why there is not greater IMAX availability in this country. For all their technological achievements, why do I have to go to Eilat to see a film in IMAX?! To sum up the experience of watching a film with Israeli children and teenagers I will say: if you enjoy the quiet, often beautiful moments in a film, don't go to the movies. There were also tears throughout this movie, not just for me, but I will not share the names of the others who cried in order to protect their pride. That is the moment I decided we cry a lot and decided that would be the best title for this particular blog.
*Photo Credits to Jeremy and Sarah Gimbel.
Since last Monday we have been in orientation week and as of today we are officially students - having begun our Hebrew Ulpan and the summer class schedule. Orientation was comprised of a number of sessions aimed at helping us get to know each other, expectations, and a bit more about the Year In Israel (YII) program. Basically we talked and talked and then talked some more. It was wonderful - I mean that. Over the past week I've had some high quality conversations and bonded with my classmates. There are 37 of us in Israel this year and we each bring something unique to the table. There are people who have just finished their undergraduate degrees, people like me who have been working for a few years, people who have left successful careers to pursue a new path, people with Masters degrees - we've been referring to my new friend Adam as a rocket scientist a lot lately, because he is!
Adam, Myself, Jeremy, and Lenette at our Israeli Dinner on Day 1. *
A lot happened this week, but there are some moments that stand out. At the end of our first day, we walked over to Har Zion (Mount Zion) for a view of Jerusalem as the sun set. Once there we sang some relevant songs accompanied on guitar by Rabbi Yoshi Zweibeck, the Director of the YII program, on guitar - turns out he's a bit of a big deal in Jewish music circles, check out his band Mah Tovu. We also were given some history of the location and a description of what we could see. As our day came to a close and we finished singing, off in the distance we could hear a group singing HaTikvah - the national anthem of the State of Israel - it was a beautiful moment. We sat on a hill with our backs to the old city, in reflective silence, and had a collective moment. When the silence broke, tear stains could be seen on many faces. Personally, I wanted to jump up and down with excitement when I heard the anthem being sung in the distance - acknowledging how perfect the timing was - instead I curled into a ball trying to resist the urge.
This was just one of many moments resulting in tears throughout the week. I do not know if students beginning other Masters or PhD programs have this experience, but it seems that the journey to becoming a Jewish professional is an extremely emotional one. No matter what we did this week, it was always interesting to see how it affected us. There were moments in our group discussions about why we are here and moments in prayer services, moments in Havdallah and moments with new friends. It is clear, whenever I look around me, that I am surrounded by people who are deeply passionate about the Jewish people, religion, and their career. We are thrilled, to the point of being overwhelmed, to be starting our programs at HUC.
Another highlight this week was a program called Yerushalayim Sheli. On Thursday night we signed up for activities being hosted by Israelis not necessarily connected to HUC and got to explore the city through their lens. This program was brilliantly coordinated by our amazing interns - Leslie, Amy, and Daniel - and was definitely a great experience for everyone. At 7:30 I met 7 of my classmates and 2 new Israeli friends - Aviad and Shevy - at HUC. We went for dinner at Moshav 54, a reasonably priced restaurant nearby, and then to the Israel Museum for a special program that included a Wi Party. What's a Wi Party? It's a party where you get a headphone set, put it on, and the music only plays in the headphones. If you take the headphones off, all you see is people dancing and you don't hear any music. This was so much fun and absolutely hilarious. I highly recommend participating in a party like this if you ever get a chance.
Side note about this trip - the enjoyment that our group took in seeing ancient biblical texts and imported synagogue decorations from all over the world was quite amusing. Of course the Rabbis, Cantor, and Jewish Educator in training visiting the Israel museum are going gaga for this stuff!
The Group at Dinner at Moshav 54 *
Ready to get our dance on! (L-R: Shevy, Daniel A, Me, Elle, Rachel S, Jeremy, and Kenny) *
The final highlight of this week that I'd like to share with you took place on Shabbat. This week I was able to celebrate Shabbat as a settled in want-to-be Yerushalmi (Jerusalemite) as opposed to a half asleep tourist from Toronto. It started with our outdoor Kabbalat Shabbat service from the Feinstein Garden which overlooks the Old City. This was one of those "wow" moments for many of us in the group. Then Saturday followed as a great day of contemplation and discussion. Saturday morning I, along with all my classmates, attended services at HUC. This was the first time that I participated in a formal Reform service as a congregant and not a visitor. On a whole this was a very positive experience for me. However, one part left me with a lot of questions. Many Reform congregations say the Mourner's Kaddish as a Kehillah (community), however I have been raised with the custom of only saying Kaddish if you are a mourner or have lost one of the 7 people that qualify you as a mourner. I have never discussed this custom with my parents, but, as their custom is that which I was raised with, I sometimes feel as though it may be disrespectful to them to say this prayer while they are alive. Seeing as I have always been sent out during Yizkor on my father's insistence that "Your parents are still alive, get out"(said with love) I think this is a safe assumption. Although, I see the beauty in the Kehillah saying Kaddish together, I am not comfortable doing so at this point - with or without my parents' approval. In my experience, the instructions at the time of Kaddish will be to "rise if it is your custom," at this service these words were not said and I was left feeling awkward about whether to stand or remain seated. This moment opened up some good conversations for me throughout the rest of the day and kick started some of my grappling with prayer that I hope to do this year. In case you're wondering, I have decided it will be best to stand in silence the next time that happens.
Shabbat was closed with a great Seudah Shlishit and Havdallah back on campus. After our own Havdallah ceremony in the Spanish Garden, which may be one of the best hideaways on this campus, I stayed back with Rachel S (Rabbinic student and Havdallah leader extraordinaire), Elle (pronounced Ellie, Rabbinic student) and Jessie (Rabbinic student) to help lead Havdallah for a Kesher Birthright Trip. As someone who is crazy about informal education, Meaningful Jewish Experiences (MJEs), and Havdallah, this moment was wonderful and very exciting. It was a great way for the 4 of us to enhance our evening, but it left us pondering, are you allowed to say Havdallah twice? Did we just separate ourselves even further from Shabbat? (Joking of course) However, if you know the answer to the first question, please share.
Ok, I can feel this blog getting long - I mean really long - so I will condense my last few thoughts.
Today we started ulpan - I am in Kitah Gimel - there are only 3 classes, so I am in the highest. This makes sense and my parents might wonder where all there tuition went if I was not at this level. My class is great and I am very excited to challenge myself to reach fluency by the end of this year. This evening I went to a nearby cafe and ate dinner while doing my homework - it was a great.
After class today, I went with a few friends to see Harry Potter 7.2. This was not only a great HP experience, it was a great adventure in Israeli cinema. We saw the film in 3D, which is the best offering in the area, Jeremy and I agree that we don't understand why there is not greater IMAX availability in this country. For all their technological achievements, why do I have to go to Eilat to see a film in IMAX?! To sum up the experience of watching a film with Israeli children and teenagers I will say: if you enjoy the quiet, often beautiful moments in a film, don't go to the movies. There were also tears throughout this movie, not just for me, but I will not share the names of the others who cried in order to protect their pride. That is the moment I decided we cry a lot and decided that would be the best title for this particular blog.
*Photo Credits to Jeremy and Sarah Gimbel.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Hey, I Know You!
Shauna Borenstein and Nikki Greenspan
2 separate instances, both on Saturday night on Ben Yehuda...because it's Ben Yehuda on Saturday night.
2 separate instances, both on Saturday night on Ben Yehuda...because it's Ben Yehuda on Saturday night.
Discussions at the Kotel
I expect to have many interesting conversations in the presence of the Kotel this year and I will share them in posts by this title.
After Shabbat dinner on Friday night, I wandered down to the Kotel with Jay (roommate, cantorial), Manda (my friend from working at Hillel, rabbinical), Lindsay (rabbinical), and Lauren (cantorial). (As I refer to people in this blog I will put the context by which I know them or the program they are in at HUC in brackets by means of introduction. Once they're introduced I will not repeat this in the future.) As we walked through the Mamilla Mall to the Old City and through the roads that lead us there, we began to discuss the Kotel, it's meaning to the Jewish world and the impact (if any) that it has on us.
This blog will now be interrupted for an....Hey, I Know You!
While walking to the wall Manda bumped into a friend of hers who was walking with Nina Kagan - who was a few years behind me at York - and Maria Abramov - who was a friend of my sister's at Associated.
Once we got to the Kotel, Jay, Lindsay, and Lauren went into the men and women's sections respectively and Manda and I took a seat on the ground just a bit away from these entrances. I love the Kotel late at night. It's fairly empty and it looks magnificent being lit against the dark sky. Manda and I discussed the fact that this place is built up as a place of deep spiritual importance but for many it has no effect - a scenario that we often have to address on Birthright trips. I am not drawn to pray at the wall, this may change as my relationship with prayer changes, but for now I do not feel the urge. However, even when it is not late at night and empty, I really love simply sitting in its presence and observing what goes on there, occasionally getting lost in the beauty of the ancient Jerusalem stone.
As beautiful as this place is, it also has flaws and they are not subtle. The Kotel highlights issues inequality in Judaism, as the men's section takes up 2/3 of the space and the women receive 1/3 that is infringed upon by scaffolding. Some will argue in support of this by pointing out that more men than women pray at the wall warranting more space, while others will argue against it implying that perhaps more women would pray if they could find the space.
We sat as a group of Jewish leaders in training and debated the good and the bad of this holy site. We debated and shared our thoughts and hopes for this place. It is a great thing to be engaging with our surroundings and considering them in terms of the degrees we are pursuing and I think this is one of the key reasons why we find ourselves in Israel for a year.
After Shabbat dinner on Friday night, I wandered down to the Kotel with Jay (roommate, cantorial), Manda (my friend from working at Hillel, rabbinical), Lindsay (rabbinical), and Lauren (cantorial). (As I refer to people in this blog I will put the context by which I know them or the program they are in at HUC in brackets by means of introduction. Once they're introduced I will not repeat this in the future.) As we walked through the Mamilla Mall to the Old City and through the roads that lead us there, we began to discuss the Kotel, it's meaning to the Jewish world and the impact (if any) that it has on us.
This blog will now be interrupted for an....Hey, I Know You!
While walking to the wall Manda bumped into a friend of hers who was walking with Nina Kagan - who was a few years behind me at York - and Maria Abramov - who was a friend of my sister's at Associated.
Once we got to the Kotel, Jay, Lindsay, and Lauren went into the men and women's sections respectively and Manda and I took a seat on the ground just a bit away from these entrances. I love the Kotel late at night. It's fairly empty and it looks magnificent being lit against the dark sky. Manda and I discussed the fact that this place is built up as a place of deep spiritual importance but for many it has no effect - a scenario that we often have to address on Birthright trips. I am not drawn to pray at the wall, this may change as my relationship with prayer changes, but for now I do not feel the urge. However, even when it is not late at night and empty, I really love simply sitting in its presence and observing what goes on there, occasionally getting lost in the beauty of the ancient Jerusalem stone.
As beautiful as this place is, it also has flaws and they are not subtle. The Kotel highlights issues inequality in Judaism, as the men's section takes up 2/3 of the space and the women receive 1/3 that is infringed upon by scaffolding. Some will argue in support of this by pointing out that more men than women pray at the wall warranting more space, while others will argue against it implying that perhaps more women would pray if they could find the space.
We sat as a group of Jewish leaders in training and debated the good and the bad of this holy site. We debated and shared our thoughts and hopes for this place. It is a great thing to be engaging with our surroundings and considering them in terms of the degrees we are pursuing and I think this is one of the key reasons why we find ourselves in Israel for a year.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Side Note...
Side Notes will be notes with a quick thought that is not necessarily in the chronological order of the blog or relevant to the themes I've been discussing here.
If you're interested, stay up to date with my tumblr feed - arirb.tumblr.com
This will have the daily Rabbi, Cantor, and Educator joke from my friend Margot and other quick thoughts, items of inspiration, things I'd like to share.
Stay tuned later today for - Discussions at the Kotel
If you're interested, stay up to date with my tumblr feed - arirb.tumblr.com
This will have the daily Rabbi, Cantor, and Educator joke from my friend Margot and other quick thoughts, items of inspiration, things I'd like to share.
Stay tuned later today for - Discussions at the Kotel
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Hey, I Know You!
So Jay and I are finishing up our first venture to Machane Yehuda - the shuk (Israeli market = cheapest place for groceries) - by purchasing some Marzepan rugalach. I look up and entering the store are Ashley Kochman and Dean Medina - friends from Toronto who are leading a Birthright trip right now. I hung out with them for a bit, bought a shuk cart - it's pretty and striped, saw Shaun Hoffman (another Toronto friend now living in Jerusalem) and then made a new friend to shop with in the shuk - Yoni - one of Shaun's roommates for the summer. That's my story of the great sequence of events that took place by finding friends in the shuk.
Jet Lag
A post about my apartment will come soon with pictures. For now I'll tell you a bit about it. My apartment is across the street from the Prima Kings Hotel, it is in a prime location and very close to the main street. To get to the apartment you walk down a path from the street and then enter the building and go up to the first floor. The apartment is what I would consider very Israeli, and has been deemed amazing by others who have seen it - yay! You enter the apartment to a square hall that all the rooms are off of: my room is to the left, then the kitchen, then the chetzi washroom (just a toilet) and the full washroom, then the living room, and 2 more bedrooms. My room is pretty much all bed - it's big - and lots of storage.
My friend, Jessie, came to meet me the day I got here and served as my brain for the day. She made a list of the things I need and helped me purge the room of all the things that were taking up space. We went shopping and made my bed - the key thing that needed to be done before the end of the day. By the time Shabbat came in the next day I had fully unpacked and put my bags away. Success!
As part of the efforts to stay awake - I say "the" instead of "my" because my classmates are awesome and made it their mission to keep me awake too - I had dinner with my roommate Jay and Manda at the The Gimbel's apartment, it was delicious - thanks Jeremy and Sarah!
After dinner, we walked over to a jam session at Emma and Rachel's "Palace" of an apartment on Ayin Chet. All day I wasn't sure if I would make it this long, but I'm so happy I did. There were about 12 of us sitting around in the living room singing whatever our wonderful guitarists could play for us. It was amazing just experiencing the energy in this room - it was a great way to start this year in Israel and I am really excited for the many future gatherings to come.
Here's a link to a video Jeremy and Sarah made of the song sesh: https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10100447613615553&oid=131987360202697&comments
For now, I still feel like I'm rocking on a boat, but I am sleeping through the night.
My friend, Jessie, came to meet me the day I got here and served as my brain for the day. She made a list of the things I need and helped me purge the room of all the things that were taking up space. We went shopping and made my bed - the key thing that needed to be done before the end of the day. By the time Shabbat came in the next day I had fully unpacked and put my bags away. Success!
As part of the efforts to stay awake - I say "the" instead of "my" because my classmates are awesome and made it their mission to keep me awake too - I had dinner with my roommate Jay and Manda at the The Gimbel's apartment, it was delicious - thanks Jeremy and Sarah!
After dinner, we walked over to a jam session at Emma and Rachel's "Palace" of an apartment on Ayin Chet. All day I wasn't sure if I would make it this long, but I'm so happy I did. There were about 12 of us sitting around in the living room singing whatever our wonderful guitarists could play for us. It was amazing just experiencing the energy in this room - it was a great way to start this year in Israel and I am really excited for the many future gatherings to come.
Here's a link to a video Jeremy and Sarah made of the song sesh: https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10100447613615553&oid=131987360202697&comments
For now, I still feel like I'm rocking on a boat, but I am sleeping through the night.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Hey, I Know You!
So as most of you may know, when traveling to and in Israel, it is inevitable that you will see people you haven't seen in ages and didn't even know would be there. The world begins to feel like a tiny place, you're walking down a street with only 4 other people around you and sure enough you know the person walking towards you - what are the chances?!
As I expect this will happen many a time this year, I have decided to document it in posts titled "Hey, I Know You!" When a blog appears with this title it might contain a story, but it might also simply have a name. This post is the context for all of the sort that follow.
HEY, I KNOW YOU!
I'm sitting at Pearson waiting to board my flight and I take out my aspirin that I have to take when flying to prevent clotting because of other medication that I am on. As I open my pill bottle, a little boy wanders over to me and asks me what I'm doing. He is followed by his older brother and younger sister. I explain what I am doing in as simple terms as possible and, satisfied with my answer, they return to their seats across from me. I then notice their father - he looks very familiar - "are you Jason?" I ask, "Yes" he responds. This is Rabbi Jason Leib and his familly and they are flying to Israel with me. I met Jason at Engagement Institute in the summer of 2008 while working for Hillel. Jason was in the first year of a shlichut to Cornell University. That shlichut was now done and Jason and his family were returning home.
To make this "Hey, I know you!" moment even better, I made a comment about the infant he was holding possibly being the infant I knew I was sitting near on the plan and sure enough she was. I spent the entire flight with 2 seats to myself sitting across from the Leib family. The children were wonderful, they let me sleep but were great conversationalists when I was awake.
As I expect this will happen many a time this year, I have decided to document it in posts titled "Hey, I Know You!" When a blog appears with this title it might contain a story, but it might also simply have a name. This post is the context for all of the sort that follow.
HEY, I KNOW YOU!
I'm sitting at Pearson waiting to board my flight and I take out my aspirin that I have to take when flying to prevent clotting because of other medication that I am on. As I open my pill bottle, a little boy wanders over to me and asks me what I'm doing. He is followed by his older brother and younger sister. I explain what I am doing in as simple terms as possible and, satisfied with my answer, they return to their seats across from me. I then notice their father - he looks very familiar - "are you Jason?" I ask, "Yes" he responds. This is Rabbi Jason Leib and his familly and they are flying to Israel with me. I met Jason at Engagement Institute in the summer of 2008 while working for Hillel. Jason was in the first year of a shlichut to Cornell University. That shlichut was now done and Jason and his family were returning home.
To make this "Hey, I know you!" moment even better, I made a comment about the infant he was holding possibly being the infant I knew I was sitting near on the plan and sure enough she was. I spent the entire flight with 2 seats to myself sitting across from the Leib family. The children were wonderful, they let me sleep but were great conversationalists when I was awake.
Two Bags Is Not Enough
My life does not fit in two bags.
One of my peers, Rebecca Ratner, started her blog with a post discussing how she has spent most of her life fitting herself into two bags, you can read it here.
I can not.
I am beginning a 3 year, 2 Masters degrees, program at Hebrew Union College the seminary for Reform Judaism. When all is said and done I will have a Masters of Jewish Education and a Masters of Nonprofit Management. I will also have lived in 3 different cities and gained a whole lot of life experience.
This journey begins in Israel with a year at the Jerusalem campus. I will then spend summers in Los Angeles and school years in New York. I'm so excited, it's hard to contain my emotions lately.
As I prepared for this journey, I was relentless but stubborn in my packing - there were just some things I refused to leave behind. I brought everything I need with me to Israel, but it is far from everything I possess. This process of packing has made it clear that I probably can not fit my life into 2 bags nor 4 bags...to be entirely moved out I'll probably need 5 bags and a whole lot of boxes. Is that bad?
When I originally thought about writing this post, I thought I'd play more with the metaphors of fitting your life in bags, but on second thought I'm going to stick to the story side of this. I packed my 2 bags a week in advance because of the crazy amount of things I had to do in the week before I departed. I could not pack my carry ons with this much time to spare. I am very thankful to the expert packing knowledge of my friend Margot for helping me figure out how to get everything I needed into the bag. Unfortunately it was 14 pounds and I needed to shuffle some things around at the airport. However, all is well and I got all of my luggage on the plane without unexpected overage fees or problems. :)
One of my peers, Rebecca Ratner, started her blog with a post discussing how she has spent most of her life fitting herself into two bags, you can read it here.
I can not.
I am beginning a 3 year, 2 Masters degrees, program at Hebrew Union College the seminary for Reform Judaism. When all is said and done I will have a Masters of Jewish Education and a Masters of Nonprofit Management. I will also have lived in 3 different cities and gained a whole lot of life experience.
This journey begins in Israel with a year at the Jerusalem campus. I will then spend summers in Los Angeles and school years in New York. I'm so excited, it's hard to contain my emotions lately.
As I prepared for this journey, I was relentless but stubborn in my packing - there were just some things I refused to leave behind. I brought everything I need with me to Israel, but it is far from everything I possess. This process of packing has made it clear that I probably can not fit my life into 2 bags nor 4 bags...to be entirely moved out I'll probably need 5 bags and a whole lot of boxes. Is that bad?
When I originally thought about writing this post, I thought I'd play more with the metaphors of fitting your life in bags, but on second thought I'm going to stick to the story side of this. I packed my 2 bags a week in advance because of the crazy amount of things I had to do in the week before I departed. I could not pack my carry ons with this much time to spare. I am very thankful to the expert packing knowledge of my friend Margot for helping me figure out how to get everything I needed into the bag. Unfortunately it was 14 pounds and I needed to shuffle some things around at the airport. However, all is well and I got all of my luggage on the plane without unexpected overage fees or problems. :)
What's In A Name?
Welcome to Ha Kitah (The Classroom). As I thought about what to name this blog I racked my brain for cute plays on Hebrew words, like one of my classmate's wonderfully titled "My Two Shekels" blog. I had difficulty finding something appropriate until finally I stumbled on "Ha Kitah" which is Hebrew for "the classroom." As this blog will follow me in my journey to becoming a Jewish Educator it is fitting that it be my classroom; a place where I hope we will learn together or just a place where you can listen to me ramble. As I thought more about this title the more appropriate it became. My passion is informal education - teaching outside the classroom/structured environment - I don't actually plan to have a classroom at this point in my journey, but this blog IS my informal classroom. If I use this space appropriately it is a great medium for informal education.
In this space I will share my thoughts, pose questions, tell stories, and respond to other peoples posts that have inspired me.
Thanks for coming, grab a desk, and don't be afraid to ask questions.
In this space I will share my thoughts, pose questions, tell stories, and respond to other peoples posts that have inspired me.
Thanks for coming, grab a desk, and don't be afraid to ask questions.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Temporary Welcome
I am far too tired to start this blog right now, but I don't like to occupy space on the interweb with nothing...so this blog will start soon. Check back, I'll try not to disappoint!
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